scholfield



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.A

(No Mdel.)

H. lSCHOLFIELD.

RICE HULLER.

Y PajtentedApr. 2, 1889.

wf/w00 Arron/VHS l 45 cylinder, projecting through a suitable open- UNITED STATES PATENT UEEICE.

, HENRY SCHOLFIELD, OF NEW YORK, Y.

moe-HULLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,604, dated April 2, 1889.

` Application nea March 12, 188s. serial No. 266,955. (No model.)

To all whom t maywncern:

Be it known that I, HENRY SoHoLEIELD, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Rice-Huller, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in rice-hullers, and has for its object to provide means whereby the hull may be expeditiously and effectively removed from the grain or kernel and the latter be delivered clean and in good marketable condition, and wherein each individual grain will be rubbed or scoured at every portion of its surface in its descent.

' The invention consists in the construction and combination of the several parts, as will `Vbe hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a transverse section Online@ of Fig. 1. Fig. Slis ahorizontal section on line y y of Fig. 4, and Fig.

' 4LV is a 'vertical section on line z ,e of Fig. 3.

In"c'arryi ng out the invention, a series of hollow cylinders, 10, are provided, ofnatural or artificial stone adapted to rest one upon another, the number of cylinders being regulated by the desired height of the apparatus. The cylinders can be made in vertical sections.

rIhe frame of the apparatus consists, preferably, of four or more uprights, l1, attached to a suitable base, united near the bottom by a suitable cross-head, 12, and near the top by a similarcross-head, 13 In the lower crosshead a cup-shaped casting, 13, is set, provided with an upper iange, a chute, 14, projecting from the bottom, and a central vertical tube, 15.

Upon the iiange of the cup-shaped casting 13 the lower one of the series/of the stone cylinders is made `to rest, and upon the upper ing in the upper cross-head, the flange of an inverted cup-shaped castingv or cap, 15, is placed, which flange may be secured to the cross-head. The cap 15 is provided with a central tube, 16, similar to and aligning the tube in the bottom casting, and also a funnel V19, is keyed, connected by a beltwith a suitable driving-pulley j ournaled upon or near the frame. The stone of which the cylinders 10 are constructed must be of such a nature as to be incapable of receiving a polish and also of the most durable construction to withstand wear.

The cylinders are provided with vertical grooves 20, cut so as to present a sharp edge upon one side and a bevel edge on the other to prevent breakage of the rice, as best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. These vertical angular grooves are designed to accomplish several purposes: iirst, that of effecting the hulling of the rice by means of the sharp` edges; second, of allowing the grain to turn over after entering the grooves, and on emerging fromthem to present new surfaces to be rubbed against the stone, the bevel edges enabling the rice to resume e its rotary course Without being broken; and, third, that of affording the grain an opportunity to release itself from the rubbers, (to be hereinafter described,) and thus avoid being dragged around the cylinders and ground down too much.

The plain ungrooved surface of the stone cylinders serves for rubbing off the cuticle and germ of the rice, each grain being designed to be held by the rubbers against the plain surface at certain or uncertain intervals, and to constantly escape from and be recaught by the rubbers until by action of gravitation the grains fall to the bottom of the apparatus. To accomplish this result the Ashaft 18 is made polygonal between the inner ends of the bottom and top cap tubes,

and a series of polygonal hubs, 2l, are fitted over the shaft, one upon the other, each section of the hub preferably equaling in height the sections of the cylinders. These hubs IOO ' bers.

cylinder between the blades of the rubbers, and so avoid friction against the stone necnected to the several 'sides of the hubs in the arc of a circle, which rubbers are divided into sections and extend the length of one of the cylinder-sections, the body of a complete rubber being illustrated in Fig. 4. The rubbers consist of a longitudinal series of hardwood strips, 23, bolted together by two or more bolts to form a back, or the back may be made of metal without departing from the spirit of the invention. Between each strip of wood 23 constituting the back one or more blades, 24, of thick oak-tanned leather, are inserted, the outer ends or extremites of which blades 24 are cut to correspond with the interior of the cylinders, as illustrated in Fig. 3, and the said blades are made a trifle longer than necessary to touch the stone, so as to give a more efficient rubbing to the rice. The rubbers are fastened to the hub by screws, as

shown, or other readily-detachable devices, i

and when the blades are worn down they are extended by inserting blocks of wood 2G, or any other material, between the back of the rubbers and the hubs. The blocks 2G are varied in thickness according to the wear upon the blades, and are secured to the hubs by the Same means employed for attaching the rub- To prevent the rice from descending the essary for its proper preparation for the market, deflecting or guide plates 27, of metal or other material, are interposed between the sections of the rubber, so as to project horizontally over the rubbers as shown in Figs.

3 and 4, the outer edges of which plates are preferably segmental and extended to within a short distance of the inner wall of the cylinders. The rice is fed into the top of the apparatus, and, falling upon the rapidly-rotating hub, is thrown by centrifugal action against the stone cylinder, where it is caught and manipulated by the rubbers. As the rubbers, from the nature of their material` and construction, have elasticity at the point l of contact with the stone, the rice is enabled to easily release itself from the Iiexible blades, l which drag it around against the stone. The ready release of the grain is due to the fact l that from the friction the grain is undergoing it cannot keep up an equal speed with the rubbers, and although the grain when rei leased from one blade is almost immediately l caught by following blade it is constantly acted upon by gravitation, and the descent i to the bottom of the machine gradually takes place. l It will be observed from the foregoing dei scription that the principal merit of the invention consists in rubbing each individual grain of rice in every part of its surface against the wall of angularly-grooved cylinders and in the employment of soft elastic blades to conduct and otherwise manipulate the grain, whereby breakage is avoided and a maximum per cent. of superior marketable rice obtained.

Having thus fully described my invention, I cla-im as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent-- l. In a rice-huller, the combination,with a tubular sectional body provided with vertical angular grooves, of a rotary hub within the body, a series of iiexible and spaced rubbers, each section being secured in an arc of a circle to the hub and extending the length of one of the body-sections, and a series of guideplates arranged between each set of rubbers, substantially as described.

2. In a rice-huller, the combination, with a tubular body formed of a series of stone cylinders having vertical angular grooves, a rotary polygonal hub within the body, a series of iiexible and spaced rubbers, each section being secured in an arc of a circle to the several sides of the said hub and extending the length of one of the cylinders, and a series of guide-plates between the several sets of rubbers and extending to withina short distance of the inner wall of the body, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a body consisting of a series of cylindrically-bored stones the inner walls whereof are provided with a series of angular vertical grooves, of a spindle revolving in said body, a sectional polygonal hub secured to the spindle, a series of rubbers detachably connected to the hub-sections, provided with spaced leather blades, having their ends adapted to the inner contour of the body, deflecting or guide plates intervening the abutting ends of the rubbers, and means, substantially as shown and described, for laterally adjusting the rubbers, as herein set forth.

4. In a rice-huller, the combination, with a hub, of a series of strips,23, of hard material, blades 24, of leather, inserted between the said strips, the blocks 26, inserted between the said strips and the hub, and screws for securing the whole to the hub, substantially as herein shown and described.

HENRY SCI-IOLFIELD.

Vl'litnesses:

J. F. ACKER, Jr., C. SEDGWICK.

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